Car-brake



2 Sheena-sheet 1.

A. SHEDLOCK.

(No Model.)

CAR BRAKE.

\ llll VENTOR ac/ ATTURNEYQ.

" m 1 if m Z (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. SHEDLOCK. CAR BRAKE 'Patented Mar. 29,1898.

ATTORNEYS UNiTED STATES ATENT FFICE.

ALFRED SHEDLOCK, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,450, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed April 16, 1896.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED SHEDLOOK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey City, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to increase the efficiency of manual-power or mechanical car-brakes; and it consists of a progressive resistance-stop device for limiting the movement of the shoes away from the wheels and of the arrangement of chain-gearing for increasing the braking power of the brake system.

This invention is adapted to be applied to and used in conjunction with the car-brakes as now made without necessitating any changes in the systems of brake-levers, and where it is desired to employ the improved stop device only then such device is applied as an adjunct to the brake system and preferably attached to a rotative part located between the hand-lever and the main brake-le` ver, and the compounding of the gearing calls for simple changes in chain connection between the main brake-lever and the vertical brake-shaft.

The device for preventing the shoes receding beyond a determined distance from the wheels far enough only for proper clearance, irrespective of how much or how fast the shoes wear away, consists simply of a frictioncontrolled stop carried by a brake-shaft or actuated thereby, the resistance of which is sufficient to hold the stop against the action of the brake-releasing springs where used, but not sufficient to prevent its progressive forward movement proportional to or commensurate with the wearing away of the shoes by the power applied to the hand-brake when the shoes are forced home against the wheels.

To more fully describe the said invention, I will now refer to the accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure 1 is a plan viewr of a part of a brake system,showing my improved power-applyin g and brake-controlling device applied thereto, the frame of the truck and car-body being illustrated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the progressive resistancestop secured to the end of the vertical power- Serial No. 587,839. (No model.)

applying shaft, taken on line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. 4. is a sectional elevation of a modification of the progressive resistance-stop. Fig. 5 is a plan of the same, taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows another application of the progressive resistance-stop, illustrative of its principle of operation. Fig. 7 shows the progressive resistance-stop applied to a pulley carried on the main lever of the brake system. Fig. Sis a sectional view taken on the line 8 8, Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 shows a positive-acting brake device embodying a differential chain system along with my improved progressive resistance-stop.

The brake-lever system shown in Figs. l and 2 of an ordinary construction comprises tne main lever A, pivotally connected to the brake-beam B, which carries the shoes B B', arranged at the sides of the wheels C C', and to the bar D, which is by the rods D D connected to a similar bar arranged to act against a brake-beam similar to the beam B at the other end of the car.

B2 B2 are the releasingsprings for drawing the shoes away from the wheels.

The brake-applying power acts on the free end A' of the main lever to draw it toward the end of the car, thereby forcing the shoes care ried by the beam B against the wheels C C and drawing the shoes at the other end of the car against their wheels through the medium of the bar Drand connecting-rod D' D.

The brake-shaft E and its handle F are also of the u sual construction, the said handle being `provided with a ratchet-grip device F', as is now often used, which permits the handle being moved backward without turning the shaft E, so that it may be set in position most convenient to the operator while forcing the shoes home against the wheels.

Now my improved progressive resistancestop, whose function is to prevent the shoes moving farther away from the wheels than is necessary to afford good clearance and so avoid slackness in the operating parts of the brake system as the shoes wear away, is adapted to be interposed between the main brake-lever and the brake-handle or to controlthese parts, thus making its application feasible and at little expense to cars without material change in the existing brake mechanism. A simple form of stop and one by the IOO case is connected to the brake-shaft Eby thel The parts chain E' in the ordinary manner. 'v occupying the positions shown, the brake is supposed to be open-that is, the shoes are" clear of the wheels, the end of the lever-A resting-against theflug G3, vthe frictional grip of the slide on the bar G being suficientto holdl` the lever A against the retractile energyfof the brake-shoareleasing springs. The space between thef'stop-lugs G3 G4 is equal to thelf= movement of the end ofthe lever A, corre sponding or Yequivalent tothe movement ofv the shoes necessary for them to freely clear thewheels.'V Nowy when the chain E' is wound' upon the shaftE and theshoes caused to bear" on thewheels `the end `of the leverA thentouches the other lug G4, andas the shoesl wear away, necessitating a furtherwinding up `of-the chain E', the said resistance-stop piecel is moved with the. end of the lever A andthe sto p-lug G3' progressively also 'moved-4 to aneXtent commensurate with the wearing awayof the shoes and by arrestingthe lever2 Astopsthe shoes at a xed determined dis tance'awayA from the wheels when `the brake is released.- The brake-handle'thus needs only to be turned the distance necessary to move the'shoes their short clearance'distance during the whole lifetime of the shoes; This is the principle l of operation `of rthis part of the'iinvention shown in all of the otherviews of the drawings and therefore applies to all ofk themythe preferred construction of the:`

progressive,resistanceestop being of a rotativecharacter and applied to or operated by some rotating part of the brake system. As'

shown'in Figs. l, 2, and 3 it consists of a ring or collar H, fitted to rotate yon the upper end of th'e'drum H', whichis secured to the lower end ofthe shaft E. The interior face of'this ring forcollar is partly cut away, forming a pocket or recess in which a iiat spring I is placed, -so that its central part presses against the bearing of the drum-embraced by thering I-I, causing the requisite amount of friction between the ring and its bearing to resist the retractile energy of thebrake-releasing springs;

A lug' 'H2 on the collar H determines the-rotaframe'K2, attached to the end A of the mainy lever, the 4other end of the =chain beingse;Y

cured to the car-frame or a bracket pendent power `of the'operatoris increased.' Any other compounding arrangement may be used or the lower part of the drumI-I' omitted, the chain then being wound upon the lowerend of the shaft E, as usual. Another feature of the progressive resistance-stop is, when it is to be used in conjunction with a ratchet-handle, that the resistance caused by spring I to v the sliding of the collar I-I on its bearing shall be greater than the resistanceof the ratchet device F of the handle, sopthat the handle F may be turnedbackward to set it in position Adesiredwith'out causing the bearing of the drum H toturn in the collar H after the collar I-I has been stopped bythe projection J.

In the modification yshown at Figs. 4 and 5 the progressive resistance-stop is shownappliedwtoran old formof brake-shaftl with its stop ratchet-wheel L and dog or pawl` L:

` therefrom. By this arrangement the braking In this case the lowerbearing-platell/I ofthel 1 shaft E is formed hollow and the stop-ring IH3- interior'of the ring provided with the 'stoplugI-I4, `against which' the pin J, secured inf l the face of the ratchet-wheel L, yacts to limiti the rotationof the sh aft E. The bearing-faces t of the ring H3: and plate M are shown correspondingly roughened or corrugated to-offer 1 more f resistance to their relative movement:y l This in somecases may be' desirable'an'd may be used inany of the forms of stopst shown..

l The progressive resistance-stop =in the form IOO dffa ring `I-I andspring I, as shown inFigs. l

and-2, is shown in Figs. y7 and 8 applied to the hub of a chain sprocket-pulley N, fitted-to rotate on theI end -of the main lever A of a'brake system. The pin J, secured to the' lever or to they upper side 'of the 4forked end of the le# tirer, stops the pulley 'fro m rotating when the' r lever A is moved back by the releasing-springs:

df the brake and so holds the lever fromffur'- ther movementafter the shoes have moved a proper distance from the wheels. The chain K in this case is by one of its ends wound upon 4the shaft E, the other end, after the `chain v asses around the pulley N, being secured to ny suitable fixed part vof the' car;Y

lying shaft E in the manner illustrated in igs. l and 2 and'operates to determine lthe lovement of the'shoes away from the wheelsl f the chain shown', the shoes may be retracted `l: y the backward movement'of the brake-hanld le, avoiding the necessity of using the braketive movement of the collar by contact with 'r releasing springs, the distance the handle he pin or projection J. Below the 'stop 'deeed be setback will beindicatedby the pro# ection on the ring H coming incontact with ice Il H Aon the `shaft E is secured-the sprocket-chain pulley O, and on the fend of the mainbrake-leverA is pivoted the double` IIO Inthe differential chain system `showin iniv1 ig. 9 the progressive resistance-stop -HfHII is constructed and applied to the brake-apL n the same way; but, as by the arrangement sprocket-chain pulley, comprising a small and a large pulley P and P'. The chain Q is endless and passes around the pulley O. One

part of it, which is the power-applying part, passes around the smaller pulley P, over the guide-pulley R, carried by the lever A, to and around the pulley S, which will be attached to some fixed part of the car or truck, and maintains fixed position relatively to the shaft E. From said pulley S the chain passes over the guide-pulley'R', also carried by the leverA, and thence around t-he large sprocketpulley P back by its other partto the pulley O. The braking power due to this arrangement will be determined by the relative sizes of the pulleys P and P' and also by the size of the pulley O, and these may be varied as desired. The operation will be readily understood, the lever A remaining in Whatever position it may be set in by the rotation of the shaft E, and it will also be seen that the lever A will be moved toward the shaft E if the chain insteadof being endless be secured by its ends to the two parts P P of the double pulley after passing around them, when the shaft E is turned to draw on the part of the chain leadin g from the smaller pulley P, in which case the guide-pulleys R, R', and S would be unnecessary.

I claim as my inventionl. In a car-brake, the combination with the brake-lever system, the shoes and the wheels, of a progressive resistance-stop device arranged to resist by friction the backward movement of the brake mechanism, so as to hold the shoes ata determin ed clearance away from the wheels at all times, and adapted to be progressively set forward by the brake mechanism, when operated, to force the shoes against the wheels in proportion to and to compensate forthe wearing away of the shoes.

2. In a car-brake, the combination with the brake-lever system, the shoes and the wheels, of a progressive resistance-stop device interposed in the system between the power-ap plying lever or handle and the main brakelever, the frictional inertia of said stop de'- vice being such as to oppose the retraction of the shoes beyond a determined clearance at all times but to be overcome directly by the operating power when applied to force the shoes against the wheels and thereby moved forward a distance in proportion to and to compensate for the wearing away of the shoes.

3. A stop for car-brakes constructed and operated to be moved progressively forward proportional to the wear of the shoes directly by the operating power when applied to force the shoes against the wheels to compensate for the wearing away of the shoes, and to be set and held in such position relative to the bearing-faces of the shoes as to prevent the bearing-faces of the shoes receding beyond a fixed determined distance away from the Wheels at all times.

4. In a car-brake, the combination of the brake-lever system, the shoes, the wheels and a ratchet-actuated power-applying lever or handle, of a progressive frictionally-held resistance-stop, interposed in the system between the ratchet lever or handle and the main brake-lever, said stop by frictional inertia holding the shoes a determined distance away from the wheels, at all times, but adapted to -be moved progressively forward directly by the operating power when applied to force the shoes against the wheels and yet offering sufficient resistance to cause the ratchet of the handle to slip when the handle is turned back beyond the limit of the stop movement.

5. A progressive resistance-stop for carbrakes interposed between the main brakebeam and the power-applying lever or handle, consisting of the ring, provided with a stop projection, a rotative drum or hub embraced by the ring, a spring applied between the ring and drum or hub to cause frictional contact between them, and a fixed lug for engaging with the stop projection of the ring.

6. A progressive resistance-stop for carbrakes interposed between the main brake'- beam and the power-applyin g lever or handle, consisting of the ring provided with a stop projection, a rotative drum or hub embraced by the ring, a spring applied between the ring and drum or hub to cause frictional contact between them, and a fixed lug for engaging with the stop projection of the ring, in combination with a pulley attached tothe main brake-lever, the vertical power-applyin g shaft and a chain passed around the pulley, secured at one end to the frame of the car, and at the other end to the vertical shaft to be wound thereon.

7. A progressive resistance-stop for carbrakes interposed between the main brakebeam and the power-applyin g lever or handle, consisting of a ring, provided with a stop projection, a rotative drum or hub embraced by the ring, a spring applied between the ring and drum or hub to cause frictional contact between them, and a fixed lug for engaging with the stop projection of the ring, in combination with a system of differential pulleys between the handle and the main brake-lever, and a chain passing around and connecting the differential pulleys.

8. A progressive resistance-stop for carbrakes interposed between the main brakebeam and the power-applying lever or handle,

consisting of a ring, provided with a stopl projection, a rotative drum or hub embraced by the ring, a spring applied between the ring and drum,or hub to cause frictional contact between them, and a Xed lug for engaging with the stop projection of the ring, in combination with a double two-sized pulley on the end of the main brake-lever, a pulley on the power-applying shaft, two guide-pulleys on the main brake-lever, a pulley pivoted on a fixed part of the frame of the car, and a chain passing around the pulleys.

9. In a car-brake, in combination, a vertical shaft provided with a handle at its upper IOO IIO

end, a drum or hub secured to the lower part of the shaft, a Collar having a stop projection embracing the drum or hub, a spring interposed between the drum or hub and the eol-V with, and a fixed stop for engaging said frietional1y-2vttaohed part and limiting its movement in one direction, substantially as and. for the .purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of April, 1896.

ALFRED SHEDLOCK.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. ODER, EDWARD C. DAVIDSON. 

